Contents

Understand

With its 525 thousand population Ryazan is the 3rd largest city in Central Russia after Moscow and Yaroslavl. The size doesn't help the city's image: Ryazan is totally provincial.

The city was founded in 1095 AD, but its initial site was completely destroyed by Mongols in 1237 - Ryazan was the first obstacle on their way of conquering Russia. Years after the new Ryazan was built few dozen kilometers away from the destroyed site.

Ryazan is not a major tourist destination, but it can be a good solution for a weekend escape from Moscow.

Get in

By plane

Ryazan's local small airport Turlatovo doesn't operate regular flights and is being used for small aircraft and training. So, the closest air terminals are Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo of Moscow. From those airports Ryazan can be accessed by train, by bus, or by car/taxi.

By train

Ryazan is an important transit rail hub. There are 2 train terminals in the city (Ryazan-1 and Ryazan-2). Most trains proceed to the east and arrive at the larger Ryazan-1 terminal, while those going to the south stop at Ryazan-2.

A faster and more comfortable option is to take an express train from the same terminal. The ride takes a little less than 3 hours, the cost depends on the class of coach. There are 3 express trains daily, going in the early morning, midday and evening.

By bus

By bus from Vykhino (Выхино) bus station. The buses leave every hour.

By car / taxi

Ryazan is about 200 km from Moscow by M5 federal road. As elsewhere in Russia, the road conditions differ greatly from a 4-lines highway to narrow bottle-necks with usual traffic-jams. Depending on traffic situation the way from Moscow may take from 2 to 6 hours (beware Friday evenings and Saturday mornings in the summer).

Hiring a taxi from Moscow to Ryazan expect to pay 3,000 - 4,000 RUR for one-way journey and use only certified providers.

Get around

You can get around the city by taking a minibus, a taxi or a bus. The public transport system is represented by ancient trolleybuses which are pretty slow.

Cathedral of the Assumption in the kremlin of Ryazan

See

Kremlin of Ryazan, [1]. The city's major architectural attraction with a number of old churches and a very beautiful cathedral. Kremlin is located at a high river bank, and you can enjoy an amazing view from it. The city center here changes into the rural floodplain of the Oka river. There are several museums and exhibitions inside the kremlin, you can also buy local souvenirs there.free access to the territory, charge 50-100 RUR for the entrance to museum exhibitions.

Ivan Pavlov's Museum. The museum of a famous Russian physiologist, Nobel-prize winner

Art Museum. Good collection in an old beautiful building. A lot of good paintings, not typical for regional museums in Russia.

Drama Theater - beautiful old building

Puppet Theater - prize winning director Valeriy Shadskiy

Do

Take a 3-hour boat trip from the Kremlin embarkment along Oka-river and back. With Russian pop-music and spontaneous dances on the top deck.

Visit bee and honey museum and horse-breeding institute in Rybnoe.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Lovech Hotel, Dimitrov square, 4 (Next to the train-station Ryazan-2.), ☎+7 (4912) 93-69-00 (booking@lovech.ru, fax: +7 (4912) 92-70-07), [2]. The largest hotel in the city, but a bit out of the center. Next door to Ryazan-2 train station. Renovated in 2005. wi-fi. Staff may be expected to speak some English.

Priokskaya. Cosy small hotel right next to the Kremlin on a quiet street in the center. Bar and billiards on the 1st floor. Staff may be expected to speak English.